The FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the US this weekend with some of the globe’s finest teams on display. The tournament has been running for 25 years, but it’s never before been as big as this edition.
An expanded version of the competition contains 32 teams from six confederations in a football feast just weeks after the regular domestic club season ended.
Starting on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, when Inter Miami face Al Ahly and runs until the final on 13 July in New Jersey, some of the sides involved have already frantically completed transfers and coaching changes to prepare.
The Opta supercomputer predicts it will be the leading European sides – including UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and 15-time European champs Real Madrid – who will be at the business end. But there are many other great sides, including Brazil’s Palmeiras, Saudi Pro League standouts Al-Hilal, plus Argentine greats Boca Juniors and River Plate.
Three Major League Soccer teams will also be competing besides Inter Miami: former CONCACAF Champions League winners Seattle Sounders recently are joined by Los Angeles FC, who qualified two weeks ago by winning a play-off against Club América following the removal of Mexico’s Club León.
Paris Saint-Germain are firm betting favourites after their stunning Champions League success last month, although only marginally ahead of Premier League heavyweights Manchester City. Other likely contenders include German champions Bayern Munich, Champions League runners-up Inter Milan and 2021 victors Chelsea.
Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, Juventus and Benfica have realistic hopes of reaching the latter stages.
Clubs from Europe are expected to dominate the competition but star-studded Al-Hilal and Inter Miami could spring a surprise. Besides Messi, big names to watch out for include Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Sergio Ramos, Ousmane Dembélé and Cole Palmer.
One of the best Brazilians will be Thiago Silva, still brilliant at 40, turning out for Fluminense.
Meanwhile, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo seems set to remain with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. But he will be missing from the Club World Cup action, despite efforts to get him to join a team at the last minute.
The 40-year-old forward is almost out of contract and although sources are confident of extending his deal, there is still speculation. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had raised the prospect of him joining a team involved at the tournament after Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify.
We appreciate your feedback. You can comment here with your pseudonym or real name. You can leave a comment with or without entering an email address. All comments will be reviewed before they are published.
Comments (0)
We appreciate your feedback. You can comment here with your pseudonym or real name. You can leave a comment with or without entering an email address. All comments will be reviewed before they are published.